Those of you who know me well will have realised that I love makeup! Since a teenager, I have always worn makeup, but I really caught the beauty bug a few years ago and have built up quite the collection, particularly eyeshadow palettes.
A current trend on YouTube is to allocate your eyeshadow palettes to certain categories and use the ‘EyeshadowPaletteTag’ hashtag. The trend (as far as I’m able to ascertain) started with a collaboration between YouTubers Samantha March and Allie Glines in May 2020.
I have been inspired to jump on the bandwagon!
You can watch our first YouTube video below!
I have swatched three colours from each palette on my arm so you can get a feel for the pigmentation and sparkle.
I will attempt to go into more detail about my palette choices here:
- Newest – 24A artist pass by Morphe.
This palette spoke to me because it is a palette which satisfies a lot of looks in one. It has neutrals, brights, neons and glitters. I had to buy it! It’s not too big and has a good-sized mirror.
- Oldest – Cat eyes by Too Faced.
I have decluttered all of my really old palettes, even my first ever Rimmel palette which my mum bought me for my 14th birthday! The cat eyes palette is the oldest I currently own. It was the first I purchased from this brand. I found it in TK Maxx at about a third of the original price! I love the leopard print tin and three of the shades can be applied wet which creates an intense eyeliner.
- Most expensive – Born to run by Urban Decay.
This is one of my favourite palettes. Although powdery, the shadows are extremely pigmented and a lot of looks can be created from the broad spectrum of mattes and shimmers. The packaging is luxurious and the travel theme is inspiring. The RRP for this palette is £43, but I managed to snag it online at TK Maxx for £29.99. Still nowhere near Natasha Denona prices, whose 15 pan pallettes can cost £110.00!
- Most affordable – Re-loaded visionary by Revolution.
Not much to say about this palette other than it only cost £5.00! I love purples and this was a bargain too good to miss!
- Everyday – Chocolate bon bons by Too Faced.
If you want a palette which isn’t overly pigmented to achieve a subtle look, then this one is great. The cute heart-shaped pans give it a twist and the palette smells of chocolate. The shimmers are soft and appropriate for daytime looks.
- Most colourful – 24A artist pass by Morphe.
The second spot for this palette. This is by far the brightest palette I own, particularly because of the neon shades. I’m not planning to go to any festivals, but you never know!
- Smallest – Devil by STYLondon.
This measures just 7.5cm2 and I received it in a ‘Glossybox’ subscription box. The shadows are very creamy and pigmented and are surprisingly good quality.
- Biggest – Colour spectrum by Revolution.
This measures 32.5cm x 26cm and dwarfs the James Charles palette which many YouTubers have selected as their biggest palette. There are 196 mattes and shimmers altogether and is a great fallback when struggling to find just the right shade!
- Best memory – Sweet Peach by Too Faced.
This is actually my favourite palette of all time, but because it’s not my favourite brand, it didn’t make the penultimate category. I have nothing bad to say about this pallet. The tin design is so cute and the palette has the most beautiful peach fragrance. It’s on my desk right next to me now. I can smell it as I type this. Hang on a minute… sniff, sniff, ahh, that’s so heavenly! It’s so well-used, that I’ve almost hit pan on a few shades. My favourite shade of all time, ‘Luscious’, is in this palette. It is a warm-toned, light-medium copper with a metallic finish. I use my finger to swipe it onto my eyelids and it is, quite literally, luscious!
- Worth the hype – Naked honey by Urban Decay.
Urban Decay have released several ‘naked’ palettes recently. I have cherry and honey. Honey is just perfect for everyday or evening wear. The shades are universally flattering and the formula is incredibly pigmented. When I realised they also brought out a mini palette, I had to grab it to increase the flexibility of the original palette. The double-ended brush, which is incuded, is incredibly high quality which makes packing on and blending shadows a breeze.
- Not worth the hype – White chocolate bar by Too Faced.
Unfortunately, Too Faced product quality is inconsistent. This one lured me in with the beautiful ‘lavender cake’ shade. The shadows are mostly light in tone and take some building up. There is, however, one stand out shade, ‘sugared raisin’, which is a silver metallic with a lilac undertone. Packaged in a hard wearing tin with their signature chocolate bar styling, it’s too cute to not keep!
- Favourite palette from a favourite brand – 39S Such a gem – Morphe.
This brand has recently become my new favourite. YouTube community dramas aside, Morphe have really upped their game. The shadows are creamy and rich and blend effortlessly. The shimmers are intense and the glitters add that extra sparkle needed for an ultra-glam look. As I said earlier, I love purples and this palette is devoted to them. They compliment my green eyes and there are a number of neutral browns to create the perfect transition or to deepen up the outer corner of the eyelid.
- Most used – Sweet Peach by Too Faced.
For the reasons I gave in the ‘Best memory’ category, this is my most used (and loved) palette.
If you want to buy any of these palettes, the links are in the video description. However, some of them are not available, unless you want to risk buying them from ebay!
(Beware, many palettes sold this way are copies and cheaply made in China with ingredients which may be toxic and/or cause iritation to the delicate eye area. Always buy from a reputable stockist.)
Which palettes do you own and which would you choose for the 13 categories? Please comment below and share your hidden gems with me.
Louisa
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